4.5 in × 6.25 in

Page Count

–

Paper Stock

Crane Lettra, Pearl White, 300 gsm

Number of Colors

2 spot inks

Varnishes

–

Binding

–

Typography

League Gothic

Blending old school techniques with digital technology, only to use an older printing press led Joel Kimmel to a set of promotional cards that he can truly call his own—cards he sends out as promotional pieces for his illustration work.

Inspired by some of my favorite words and depression era-looking characters, these Troublemakers were illustrated and letterpress printed as a 4-card series for editorial art directors. Each set was wrapped with a letterpress printed band and mailed in a bright green envelope to help it stand out among the many promo pieces that land on art directors desks every week. I wanted the artwork to be bold and striking with the hopes that the cards would be displayed around the editorial offices.

Everyone loves the feel and look of letterpress and illustration reproduces beautifully with that process. Each card was hand-drawn with brush and ink and letterpress printed with photopolymer plates on a New Style Chandler and Price. A fun challenge when working this way with my illustrations is to separate the colors since the drawing is all done traditionally. I draw the black outlines first on smooth Bristol ink paper and carefully ink the shadow colors (in blue) on a separate sheet of vellum taped over the original drawing. With registration marks added on each sheet it’s simple to line them up digitally and overlay the colors. Adding registration marks is a huge time saver with this process.